The Colonel s Lady a novel L a u r a Frantz O
2011 by Laura Frantz Published by Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.revellbooks.com Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Frantz, Laura. The colonel s lady : a novel / Laura Frantz. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-8007-3341-4 (pbk.) 1. Single women Fiction. 2. Frontier and pioneer life Kentucky Fiction. I. Title. PS3606.R4226C65 2011 813.6 dc22 2011010717 Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible. Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007 This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Wyatt and Paul May you grow to be godly heroes. And a special dedication to the men and women of our country s armed forces, who, since 1776, have given of their own lives and liberties to ensure ours.
Author s Note When I visited Locust Grove in Louisville, Kentucky, and came face-to-face with a portrait of George Rogers Clark, I knew I had to create a hero like him. After I read James Alexander Thom s epic Long Knife, Colonel Clark was firmly etched in my mind and heart as a true American legend. Only he had a tragic life. After researching, I felt compelled to give him a happier ending. Colonel Cassius McLinn is loosely based on Clark and his heartbreaking struggles as a soldier and private citizen. Roxanna Rowan, while entirely fictitious, is the woman I wish George Rogers Clark had met. If he had, I like to think his life would have turned out a bit differently. The life of a soldier in any century is difficult. We owe an enormous debt to those who serve. But a soldier who served two hundred or more years ago had very special challenges. Conditions for the army in that era were extremely taxing. The water was often polluted, thus the reliance upon alcohol or spirits. To make this story true to history, I had to include its use and show how detrimental it truly was. The political situation on the American frontier was also quite complex. I have dealt with it only superficially in my story, as it was ferocious. George Washington is credited with saying, I have heard the 7
The Colonel s Lady bullets whistle, and there is something charming in the sound. This so describes the fortitude and courage of the Revolutionary War soldiers that I had Colonel McLinn echo the words. The maxims used in this novel were taken straight from the eighteenth century and were then titled Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation. These were the very rules George Washington learned at an early age and followed his entire life. Perhaps this is why he became one of the finest soldiers who ever lived. Although the Purple Heart did not come into being until 1782, I made use of it earlier in this story. Only three men are known to have been awarded this prestigious honor during the Revolutionary War. As a novelist, I find it a joy to take the historical record and bring to life the lovely, lost, bittersweet things of the past and breathe new life and hope into them. I attempted to do this with The Colonel s Lady. I hope that you, dear reader, enjoy the story. 8
1 z å Kentucke Territory, November 1779 This is madness. Roxanna Rowan leaned against the slick cave entrance and felt an icy trickle drop down the back of her neck as she bent her head. Her right hand, shaky as an aspen leaf, caressed the cold steel of the pistol in her pocket. Being a soldier s daughter, she knew how to use it. Trouble was she didn t want to. The only thing she d ever killed was a copperhead in her flower garden back in Virginia, twined traitorously among scarlet poppies and deep blue phlox. An Indian was an altogether different matter. The cave ceiling continued to weep, echoing damply and endlessly and accenting her predicament. Her eyes raked the rosy icicles hanging from the sides and ceiling of the cavern. Stalactites. Formed by the drip of calcareous water, or so Papa had told her in a letter. She d never thought to see such wonders, but here she was, on the run from redskins and Redcoats in the howling wilderness. And in her keep were four fallen women and a mute child. They were huddled together further down the cavern tunnel, the women s hardened faces stiff with rouge and fright. Nancy. Olympia. Dovie. Mariah. And little Abby. All five were looking at 9
The Colonel s Lady her like they wanted her to do something dangerous. Extending one booted foot, she nudged the keelboat captain. In the twilight she saw that the arrow protruding from his back was fletched with turkey feathers. He d lived long enough to lead them to the mouth of the cave a very gracious gesture before dropping dead. Thank You, Lord, for that. But what on earth would You have me do now? A stray tear leaked from the corner of her left eye as she pondered their predicament. The Indians had come out of nowhere that afternoon in lightning-quick canoes and the women had been forced to abandon the flatboat and flee in a pirogue to the safer southern shore, all within a few miles of their long-awaited destination. Fort Endeavor was just downriver, and if they eluded the Indians, they might reach it on foot come morning. Surely a Shawnee war party would rather be raiding a vessel loaded with rum and gunpowder than chasing after five worthless women and a speechless child. Miz Roxanna! The voice cast a dangerous echo. Roxanna turned, hesitant to take her eyes off the entrance lest the enemy suddenly appear. Her companions had crept further down the tunnel, huddled in a shivering knot. And then Olympia shook her fist, her whisper more a shout. I d rather be took by Indians than spend the night in this blasted place! There was a murmur of assent, like the hiss of a snake, and Roxanna plucked her pistol from her pocket. Ladies, she said, stung by the irony of the address. I d much rather freeze in this cave than roast on some Indian spit. Now, are you with me or against me? The only answer was the incessant plink, plink, plink of water. Turning her back to them, she fixed her eye on the ferns just beyond the cave entrance, studying the fading scarlet and cinnamon and saffron woods. With the wind whipping and re arranging the leaves, perhaps their trail would be covered if the Indians 10
Laura Frantz decided to pursue them. They d also walked in a creek to hide their passing. But would it work? Roxanna heaved a shaky sigh. I m glad Mama s in the grave and Papa doesn t know a whit about my present predicament. NO At daylight the women emerged like anxious animals from the cave, damp and dirty and wild-eyed with apprehension. One small pistol was no match for an Indian arrow. But Roxanna clutched it anyway, leading the little group through the wet woods at dawn, in the direction of the fort they d been trying to reach for nigh on a month. By noon the women in her wake were whining like a rusty wagon wheel, but she didn t blame them a bit. They had lost all their possessions, every shilling, and hadn t seen so much as a puff of smoke from a nearby cabin at which they could beg some bread. Were they even going the right direction? The dense woods seemed to shutter the sun so that it was hard to determine which way was which. When the fort finally came into view, it didn t match the picture Roxanna had concocted in her mind as she d come down the watery Ohio River road. The place was dreary. Lethal looking. Stalwart oak pickets impaled the sky, and the front gates of the great garrison were shut. Drawing her cape around her, she stifled a sigh. It needed fruit trees all around... and a hint of flowers... and children and dogs running about, even in the chill of winter. But not one birdcall relieved the gloom. As they came closer, she could see the Virginia colors flying on the tall staff just beyond high, inhospitable walls. And then something else came into view something that matched her memories of home and made a smile warm her tense face. A stone house. She blinked, expecting the lovely sight to vanish. But it only became clearer and more beguiling, and she drank in every delightful detail. 11
The Colonel s Lady Solid stone the color of cream. Winsome green shutters with real glass windows hiding behind. Twin chimneys at each end. And a handsome front door that looked like it might be open in welcome come warmer weather. Situated on a slight rise in back of the fort, the house was near enough to the postern gate to flee to in times of trouble, though she doubted even the king s men could penetrate such stone. Who had built such a place in the midst of such stark wilderness? Papa never mentioned a stone house. Roxanna was suddenly conscious of the company she kept or rather was leading. It wasn t that she was afraid to be seen with these women in their too-tight gowns and made-up faces, or that she felt above them in some way. Glancing at them over her shoulder, she pulled her cloak tighter as the whistling wind of late November blew so bitterly it seemed to slice through her very soul. Her skittishness was simply this she feared the reaction of her father. Stalwart soldier that he was, what would he think to see her arrive in such flamboyant company? He hadn t an inkling she was coming in the first place. But to see her roll in unexpectedly with doxies such as these, and a pitiful child to boot... Is that Fort Endeavor, Miz Roxanna? The weary voice was almost childlike in expectancy. Dovie, only fifteen, had attached herself to Roxanna with the persistence of a horsefly in midsummer s heat from the moment they d met on the boat. Yes, that s the fort, or should be, she replied as the girl clutched her arm a bit fearfully. Best keep moving lest the Indians follow. Roxanna looked to her other side and grabbed hold of Abby s hand. The child glanced up, ginger curls framing a pale face buttonholed by bluish-gray eyes, her dimpled cheeks visible even without a smile. We ll soon be warm and dry again promise. At the rear, Olympia laughed, and the sound tinkled like a tarnished chime in the frozen air. I aim to be more than that, 12
Laura Frantz truly. Or I reckon I ll turn right around and find me another fort full of soldierin men or an Indian chief. Ignoring the babble of feminine voices, Roxanna looked over her shoulder warily as they emerged from the woods. How in heaven s name had it come to this? She realized she was running from discomfort to danger. Virginia no longer felt like home, and she was desperate to leave its hurtful memories behind. But this was far more than she d bargained for. Oh, Lord, was it Your will for me to leave Virginia... or my own? Every passenger on the flatboat they d just forsaken seemed to be running from something. Even Olympia had confessed she d left her life at the public house because she was tired of the lice and the stench of the river and the men who manhandled her. Her sister who had worked alongside her had died, leaving a child behind. To her credit, Olympia wanted a better life for little Abby. The girl hadn t spoken a word since her mother s death a few months before, and Roxanna wondered if she ever would. I ve heard that in Kentucke, women are so scarce even a fallen one like myself can take my pick of any man I please, Olympia had announced aboard the vessel one evening. And he ll treat me decent too. She smiled with such satisfaction that Roxanna almost envied her. I just want me a little cabin with some chickens and a plot of corn. Seems like that ain t askin much, Mariah added. Beside her, Nancy arranged her tattered skirts and purred like a cat with a pot of cream, I m partial to a soldierin man myself. Dovie s faded blue eyes lingered on each woman, her round face full of expectancy. Why, Miz Roxanna, you ain t said a word about why you re travelin to the wilderness. A hush fell over the group as they huddled about the shanty stove. Roxanna expelled a little breath. Well... my father s at Fort Endeavor serving as scrivener. He s always writing letters telling me how beautiful Kentucke is, how you can see for miles 13
The Colonel s Lady since the air is so clear, that even the grass is a peculiar shade of blue-green, and the forests are huge and still. Not leaping with Indians like some folks say. Sure enough? Mariah murmured as the other women huddled nearer. My coming to Kentucke is a surprise. Papa s enlistment is near an end, and we ll be going somewhere to settle, just the two of us. Don t you want to find a man get married? Mariah asked. The innocent question stung her. Roxanna lifted her shoulders in a show of indifference. I m not so young anymore spinster age, some say. The women exchanged knowing glances and began to titter. Seems to me you re comin to the right territory, then. A frontiersman ain t gonna let a gal who s a little long in the tooth stop a weddin, Olympia said, her smile smug. Reaching into the bosom of her dress, she withdrew a Continental dollar and waved it about. I bet Miz Roxanna with her fine white skin and all that midnight hair won t last five minutes once she sets foot in that fort. There were approving murmurs all around. Roxanna smiled ruefully as Nancy reached over and snatched the bill out of Olympia s hand, tossing it into the stove. That dollar s worthless and you know it. Show me somethin sound. Still chuckling, Olympia lifted her soiled calico skirt and took a pound note from her scarlet garter. Now, who s to wed after Miz Roxanna? I say Nancy cause she s so sweet. Mariah sneered, rolling her eyes. This brought about such feminine howls a riverman stuck his head in the shanty doorway. I ain t sweet but I m smart, Nancy said, tucking a strand of flaxen hair behind her ear. I ll take the first man who asks me, so long as he ain t wedded to the jug and don t beat me. 14
Laura Frantz Mariah rubbed work-hardened hands together, the backs flecked with liver spots. I ve got a hankerin for a cabin in the shade of a mountain with a spring that never dries up, not even in summer. If a man won t take me, I ll make do myself, just like I ve been doin since I was nine years old. Roxanna felt a stirring of pity for every scarred soul around the hissing stove. Why don t we pray for husbands for all of you? she said on a whim, watching their faces. Olympia smirked and shook her head. With all due respect, Miz Roxanna, the only experience I ve had with prayin women is the ones who ve prayed me and my ilk out of one river town after another. I ain t never prayed before, Mariah confessed. I like the idea. It ain t gonna hurt none, Dovie said quietly. Maybe it ll help. Reaching out, Roxanna squeezed her hand. Despite their worldly ways, these women could be surprisingly childlike, and they responded to any compliment or scrap of kindness like a half-starved cat. Praying isn t hard, she told them. Sometimes when I can t think of what to say, I just remember the words I learned as a little girl. Opening the door of the stove, she added some dry willow chunks. It goes like this. Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Nancy nodded. I learned that a long time ago in settlement school back in Pennsylvania. Well, Mariah urged, keep on a-goin. Might as well add that we re all needin husbands. Maybe we should hold hands, Dovie suggested, reaching for Nancy s. Once I peeked in at a prayer meetin and it seemed that was what they did. Self-consciously they bowed their heads. Roxanna stayed silent as they made their petitions before adding her own at 15
The Colonel s Lady the very end. Father, You know what we have need of before we even ask. But we ask anyway, knowing You are patient and kind and the giver of all gifts. I ask that You send each of these women a husband but only men who are honest and kind and good. Help them to be the women You made them to be. Help them to know You. She looked up, eyes searching the shadows. Curled up on a cot against a far wall, Abby was fast asleep. And please bring Abby s voice back let her speak again. Amen. Dovie didn t let go of her hand. Why, Miz Roxanna, you left yourself out. Swallowing down a sigh, Roxanna dredged up a half smile. Truly, some things are past praying for. I ain t goin to bed till you re prayed up, Olympia said, crossing her arms. They joined hands again, the only sound the stove s popping and water sluicing under the hull beneath their feet. One by one they all prayed again, this time for Roxanna, and it seemed she d never heard such sincere whispered words. But it was Dovie s petition that lingered the longest. Help my friend Roxanna, Mister Eternal. Prepare her a man she can t take her eyes off of and who can t take his eyes off her. And let it be right quick, if it pleases Ye. 16
2 z å Twas the deep lilac of dusk, a dangerous time to be a soldier. Trail-weary, the Kentuckians under Colonel Cassius McLinn s command were only too glad to succumb to a keg of rum at day s end. It was a flourishing finish to a successful winter campaign in Shawnee territory indeed, one that had ended but hours before when the men had split ranks and ambushed a British-led war party in a matter of minutes, bringing an end to the enemy s planned raid on the frontier settlements. Colonel McLinn turned away from the barren ridge and tucked his spyglass in a coat pocket, aware of the bound men behind him. Redcoats and redskins made strange bedfellows, he mused. They watched him as intently as he watched them, feathers fluttering and faces smeared with paint and gunpowder. It had been a mostly bloodless battle. Those were what he was known for. Wars could be won by weapons and wits. What was it the Virginia Gazette called him? The gentleman colonel? The Shawnee knew him as something less stellar the Bluecoat town burner. He preferred the first title by far but acknowledged he d earned the second. Swinging round to face his fifty prisoners, he wondered, what did they think of him now? In the winter twilight he knew he cast a Goliath-like shadow. The tattered, stained skirt of his long leather coat flapped about 17
The Colonel s Lady his thighs in the wind, and his silver-spurred boots were firmly planted on frozen ground. He unsheathed his sword, and the bell-like ring of fine steel lingered in the air. The prisoners were watching him now, perhaps wondering if he d live up to his reputation. But which one? He paced back and forth in front of them, eyes on the bare trees behind them, wondering when the woods would give up all his men. Wondering too if they concealed the dozen or so Shawnee and Redcoats who d gotten away. Perhaps he d been wrong to send a small party looking for the escaped enemy. He d placed thirty soldiers under the leadership of Richard Rowan, though Rowan was more scrivener than soldier. Given this, the men would likely get lost or frostbitten before they came back. But with his second-in-command sick, he d had little choice. And Rowan, weary of desk duty, had been more than willing. Cass had watched the woods swallow his men with a tightness in his chest he couldn t account for. Rowan was like a father to him to boot. Sheathing his sword, he shoved aside his misgivings as a lieutenant came forward with a pewter tankard. This ll take the chill off, Colonel. Within an hour no one was thinking of their missing comrades or the elusive enemy as they huddled about the fires and partook freely of the rum. To a man, they were all pondering the comforts of home. Trestle tables piled high with meat and bread. The gentle swish of a skirt. Downy feather ticks. And Cassius McLinn was thinking of Ireland... and the estate he hadn t seen in six years... and the fragrant, enveloping arms of Cecily O Day. Always, always Cecily. When daylight had eroded completely, he spotted a flash of movement in the forest. Men mere shadows began to emerge with muskets raised. The escaped raiders! With a furious, catlike swipe, he reached for his rifle and sighted. In one single, unfor- 18
Laura Frantz giving blast, he felled the lead man. All around him, his soldiers followed suit, picking off the approaching men like turkeys at a target shoot. There was precious little resistance a terrifying silence then an anguished cry. His own. They were downing their own men! Fellow Patriots, all. The soldiers still standing were now running back toward the woods in terror. With a hoarse cry, Cass dropped his musket and sprinted across the icy sheen of grass, the soles of his boots like skates. Oh, eternal Father, have mercy... Richard Rowan lay faceup, his Continental coat flecked crimson from the gaping wound in his chest. He worked his mouth hard, swallowing back blood, one hand grabbing Cass s lapel as he hovered over him. Colonel... Cass fell to his knees and reached for his scrivener, bringing his head off the hard ground. He tried to utter words of comfort anything at all but couldn t get past the crushing burden in his chest. Merciful God, reverse this terrible hour. Excruciating seconds ticked by, and he cried brokenly, Richard, I thought you were the enemy. The grip on his lapel tightened. You have... an enemy... but it s not me... Cass blinked, tears spattering onto the gray-whiskered face of the man he held. The very ground seemed to reel beneath the weight of what he d done. Could Richard smell the rum? Did he know such mistakes were easily made at dusk? Twas at twilight traitorous twilight that one troop of men was nearly indistinguishable from another. Strangely, Richard Rowan s countenance held no blame or recrimination. His face seemed to almost clear, and his voice held a stronger cadence than Cass had ever heard. Take care... of my... Roxie. 19
3 z å Yep, that s a fort all right, Mariah said between expulsions of tobacco. The first one I seen for four hundred miles or better. Hope we ain t in for a surprise once we get there. At this, all five women slowed their steps. Nancy crossed her ample arms above her broad bosom and shot Mariah a disgusted glance. Now explain to me just what you mean by that. I m just sayin Fort Endeavor s locked tighter than a doublecorked jug, so the flatboat captain said right before he dropped dead. We might have better luck at one of them other stations further downriver. Who s in charge of Fort Endeavor? Dovie asked. Colonel Cassius Clayton McLinn, Roxanna answered, wondering if she d gotten every syllable right. He s commander of the entire western frontier. I believe he s from Ireland. An Irish Patriot. There were many of them in the colonies, almost as many as the rebel Scots. She tried to resurrect all that she d learned of him through her father s letters. Educated at Harrow... commissioned as an ensign in the British army before defecting to the colonies... awarded a Badge of Military Merit for heroic action at Brandywine Creek. The facts swirled in her weary head before settling and posing yet another question. Given these sterling accomplishments, what was the colonel doing here? 20
Laura Frantz Looking back over her shoulder, she motioned the women on toward the unfriendly-looking fort. Reckon they ll shoot at us? Dovie wondered aloud. Or even unlock them gates? The entire garrison was now clearly in view, and Roxanna could make out more winsome details of the stone house on the hill. When they d rounded the last bend that brought them abreast of the smooth river, now turning from dull green to opal as the sun strengthened, she could hardly contain her relief. She couldn t walk another mile, as the soles of her boots were worn thin as paper. She guessed Papa would be in the orderly room with the colonel, scribbling his shorthand in myriad ways. Protocol demanded that the sentries at the gates stop them and inquire who they were and then summon her father. Thankfully, her traveling companions were no longer a source of consternation. Somehow, amidst the turmoil of the past hours, they d united into an unlikely band. Though they d made it thus far with just the clothes on their backs, they had made it with scalps intact, and this was all that mattered. It sure ain t Virginia, Mariah muttered at her elbow. Roxanna took a last look at the woods and river. Truly, Kentucke wasn t like genteel Virginia. Even locked in early winter, the land seemed to pronounce itself superior in the subtlest of ways from the curious stands of cane one could hide in to the abundance of springs and staggering girth of giant trees. They had come across all kinds of animal sign as well, and had nearly stared some buffalo in the face. Overhead an enormous flock of pigeons flew, darkening the sky. Kentucke looked, smelled, and felt dangerous. Yet every step closer was a step away from the past, and for that reason there seemed to be a small sun rising in her breast, just like the one now pinking the sky over the treetops. She hadn t felt hope for so long or excitement but she felt it now and was hard-pressed to keep the emotion from telling on her 21
The Colonel s Lady face. It was all she could do not to run to the massive gates and fling herself into her father s arms. Though it wasn t the life her mother had dreamed of for her, it was an honest life. The end of the road, such as it was, angled through a clearing large enough for military evolutions. The stubble of fallow cornfields and a small outlying orchard spread east. This was, despite its grim facade, a prosperous place, a garrison where soldiers were never idle. Roxanna was relieved to find some signs of normalcy amidst the wildness. A few lean milk cows were fenced in by the fort s east wall, and behind this was a chicken house with an enormous red-tailed rooster strutting about. Yet no sound came from the fort, nor could she see any sentries on the upraised banquette inside. Looks deserted to me, Nancy mused as they came nearer. Roxanna s joy began to ebb. What if Papa is already on his way back to Virginia? What if his enlistment ended earlier than expected? What if... She was hurrying now toward gates slowly swinging open, her boots rubbing holes in the heels of her stockings, her limp so pronounced she winced. The sentries were looking with a sort of awed delight at the knot of weary women approaching. Had they even exchanged a quick wink? Roxanna s eyes wandered to the spacious parade ground within and an astounding collection of barracks and outbuildings. Olympia began to stretch and adjust her cape to better reveal her soiled, cardinal-colored dress. With her brightly clad as a Christmas package, it was a wonder she hadn t led the Indians after them all the way. Roxanna found it almost comical to watch the exaggerated curtseys that nearly spilled the women s cleavage from their stays, and the stiff bows and fawning faces of the soldiers who d begun to appear. Like at a stage play she d once seen in Williamsburg, she stood riveted, hardly noticing the orderly at her elbow. Are you with them, ma am? 22
Laura Frantz I am, she stated, tugging Abby closer. I mean, I m not not really. I ve come here to see my father. The orderly looked relieved. And who would your father be, ma am? Captain Richard Rowan, she said in a little rush. The sudden respect that struck his face was gratifying. I m pleased to meet you. Is this your daughter? Roxanna looked down at Abby, whose pale, upturned face seemed almost translucent beneath her crown of curls. No. Abby is in the care of her aunt, Olympia, one of the women from Redstone. He nodded. I m Private Ballard. Is your father expecting you? I m afraid not it s a surprise. Is he here? Her entreating question seemed to unsettle him. Nay, Miss Rowan. He s away with Colonel McLinn on a campaign. Away. The simple word seemed to snuff out all the high feeling in her heart, and the poise she d tried to practice took flight. Still, away was better than en route to Virginia. Or worse. She swallowed hard and was a soldier s daughter again stoic, composed, practical. Do you know when they ll return? Nay, miss, can t rightly say. They ve been out six weeks or so. The colonel told em he d have em back inside the walls of this fort by Christmas Day. And if he says so, he ll do so. Christmas Day was weeks away. She scanned the fort s interior, noting the collection of tiny cabins squeezed between blockhouse bulwarks at all four corners. Which was Papa s? Wary, she lingered on the gathering crowd of soldiers next, dismissing broad backs and blue Continental coats and tricorn hats till she came to a hands-on-hips black woman, her piercing eyes dark as garden seeds. She stood on the fringe of the crowd as a stocky man in uniform strode past her, assessing the spectacle before him as he walked. Ladies, he said warmly, removing his hat to reveal a slightly balding pate. Though dignified, his expression was startled, even 23
The Colonel s Lady a bit bemused. He took in Roxanna at the back of the throng, lingering on her a bit long as if trying to make sense of her puzzling presence. Tis ungallant to keep travelers out in this cold. Private Ballard, take these women s belongings to those empty cabins. Olympia hooted at this, drawing her cloak tighter. We ain t got no belongin s, beggin your pardon. We re all poor as Job s turkey. Indeed. He looked toward Roxanna as she stood with Abby. What befell you exactly? Taking a deep breath, she smoothed her muddy skirts. We were upriver about six miles from here when a party of Indians in canoes pushed off from the north shore. The flatboat crew panicked, most of the men were killed, and the Indians climbed aboard just as we d pushed off toward the south bank of the river. Shuddering at the memory, she covered Abby s ears. The captain fled with us but took an arrow to the back. We hid in a cave, where he died Say no more, please. He stood a little straighter, eyes roaming over each bedraggled woman. I m Captain Stewart, acting commander of this garrison since the colonel is away. Since this is a military post and not a civilian one, we rarely have visitors. But you re welcome to stay till other arrangements can be made. I ll send a detail out at once to inspect the damage see if anything s left of the flatboat and your belongings. If you d care to join me for supper, I d be happy to hear what brings you to Fort Endeavor. In the meantime, you can retire to your cabins and I ll send an orderly over with hot water and whatever else you wish. Olympia sauntered toward him and placed a gloved hand on his sleeve, her voice soft and inviting, eyelashes batting like a butterfly s wings. I m obliged, Captain. What time did you say supper was? Seven o clock, ma am 24
Laura Frantz Miss Olympia, she replied, looking his uniform over and obviously finding it to her liking. For a moment he stood as if lightning-struck, and a murmur of amusement passed over the men. Watching this display of feminine wiles, Roxanna felt a queer pang. Perhaps if she d tried the same sort of thing with Ambrose, matters would have turned out a bit differently. NO Suppertime found them all gathered around a huge trestle table in a cavernous blockhouse, each woman interspersed between officers. The room was big and cold and damp a cheerless place to partake of a meal. The fare offered was nearly as bland. A sandy-headed lad poured cider into pewter mugs at their elbows, and Roxanna took a discreet sip. The aged brew fizzled and tickled as it went down and nearly made her sputter. Venison steak, crusty corn pone, and a few scabby potatoes were set before them on wooden trenchers by the black woman Roxanna had seen earlier. She wondered if a supply wagon wasn t overdue. Papa had often spoken about the trouble of getting goods from Virginia in a timely manner and so wrote countless letters asking nay, begging for provisions. At one end of the table, Captain Stewart presided, Olympia on his left with Abby, while another captain graced the other end with Nancy, Mariah, and Dovie. Roxanna found herself in the middle between two lieutenants who paid her little attention, fixated as they were on her colorful companions. They d introduced themselves, but in her befuddlement she d already forgotten who they were. She d never been good with names. Strangely, the cumbersome if lyrical moniker of their commander, Cassius Clayton McLinn, wove through her mind like a melody, easily remembered. Despite the meager food and melancholy surroundings, the 25
The Colonel s Lady women kept up a lively discourse, the officers seeming to hang on their every word. Olympia was, if nothing else, an admirable actress, her voice projecting to the dark corners of the blockhouse, every expression laced with drama. No wonder Abby didn t speak, Roxanna thought. With Olympia as her aunt, the child couldn t get a word in edgewise. Soon the laughter about the table was explosive, as the women recounted their trip downriver and all the mishaps along the way. Listening, Roxanna became lost in her own silent version of events, none of them remotely amusing. What began as an uneventful journey in late fall, starting at the Redstone settlement on the Monongahela River, had snowballed into something else entirely. She d been traveling with a Kentucke-bound family of ten former Virginia neighbors when three of the children had suddenly taken ill. A stop was made at Redstone and the family disembarked, their places soon taken by this collection of women. From the time the Redstone women spilled out of the public house along the rickety waterfront and set foot on the flatboat, one calamity after another began to occur. Soon the polemen manning the vessel began to murmur that the women aboard were nothing but Jonahs sent to sink them. Snow began spitting and the boat bobbed along on chunks of ice as the river threatened to freeze. Two of the crew fell ill and were left at another isolated place. Roxanna s alarm had spiked when the captain broke into the store of spirits and became too inebriated to man the sweep. Toward dusk one snowy eve, a slab of ice snuck under the bow and nearly upended the entire vessel, sending kegs of rum and flour, seed sacks, and crates of chickens flying into the water. Knowing other boats had sunk in these shallows, she d gotten on her knees in the tilting shanty and started to pray. Hard. The cursing, seething rivermen, armed with axes and pikes, fought chunks of ice as it collided with the hull, their acid eyes on the 26
Laura Frantz Redstone women as if they d turn on them next. But then, to her astonishment, the vessel began to right itself and a warm wind kicked up, thawing the road of river. In the end, they d sailed out upon the river s calm middle, leaving the ice jam behind, the lights of a dozen lamps of bears oil shining on the water s smooth surface and assuring them all was well. Seems like we should celebrate, Olympia announced inside the overheated shanty. She disappeared from sight and returned with a fiddler, and all the women began clearing the space of chairs and cargo to make room for a dance floor. Standing in a corner by the potbellied stove with little Abby, Roxanna listened as the lively strains of a jig coerced the rivermen inside. Soon the flatboat seemed threatened with a different kind of danger. Was anyone manning the tiller? No one seemed to care as the men and women were now four deep, leaving little room for the whirling dancers. Roxanna could hardly believe that the same rivermen who had given them such venomous glances but an hour before now pranced and cavorted like long-lost lovers. One man even began doing a dance of sorts on his hands. If there was a queen present, it would have to be Olympia. Perched atop a whiskey keg, she presided over the festivities, a pewter tankard her scepter, bestowing a sip or two to whomever she pleased. Beside her, the captain allowed it, his gray eyes growing more glazed as he swigged from his own jug. Soon the stench of sweat and spirits was stifling. Breathless, Roxanna went out onto the deck, Abby in hand, and leaned over the gunwale. The wind that had helped save them was strangely warm, toying with her cape and the inky hair she d pinned so neatly that morning. Behind them a stranger was at the sweep, whistling along with the fiddling. The sky above seemed wild and untamed, violently black with stars like saber points so many her head swam. Water burbled beneath the hull, hurrying them ever nearer to Kentucke. 27
The Colonel s Lady Drawing the trembling child closer, she said, Everything s going to be all right now, Abby. You needn t be afraid. But she looked down and saw that her own hands were shaking. She hardly believed her own reassurances. All her senses seemed muddled, as if she d given in to the whiskey now emanating from the crowded shanty. She was on the edge of her emotions tonight, the strange sights and sounds all around her making her feel lonesome and upended. Perhaps it was wrong leaving Virginia so soon after Mama died and Ambrose jilted her. Had it been only a year or so ago that all was well? Mama had been in high spirits if failing health. Roxanna was betrothed. Letters from Papa were arriving regularly via post, assuring them he d soon be home, promising he d never enlist again. He wanted to be by her mother s side, so he d written enjoy his future grandchildren. And then everything began to alter, subtly at first, followed by a veritable avalanche of trouble and heartache. Now, listening to the Redstone women entertain the men at table, she wanted nothing more than a cup of steaming tea and a quiet corner, thinking of the cabin waiting two doors down. An orderly had taken her there earlier and she d stood on the threshold to find Papa s tobacco-laced, masculine scent pervading every inch of the shuttered, shadowed place. There he seemed larger than life, even when absent. She pondered that as she pushed an underdone potato around her plate. Soon Papa would come and they d sit together around the fire and look at maps and dream of where they d settle next. Perhaps farther south on the Green River. Or the idyllic valley to the west known as Angel s End. Smiling to herself, she became aware of the officer on her right watching her. You ve said little since your arrival, Miss Rowan. Not that you ve had the chance, he remarked, eyeing the chattering women while sawing at the leathery cut of meat on his plate. But I see you smiling, so all must be well. 28
Laura Frantz A journey s end is always a pleasure, she said, reaching for her cider. I m sure your father will say the same once he returns. He took a bite of meat and glanced toward the blockhouse door. You do know where he s gone, I suppose? Into Indian-infested woods, so Captain Stewart told me, she said quietly, her tone a trifle wry. Tis a wonder you didn t go with him. He chuckled. Oh, I wanted to madly. But the dysentery stopped me. Flushing, she rearranged her napkin in her lap. Papa had had more than his share of this miserable malady and so might she, given the close quarters of this fort. Her smile faded, eyes sweeping around the long length of table, aware of the heightened hum of conversation and heady bursts of laughter. The acting commander was pouring brandy now, and it promised to be a late night. She was so tired she didn t know if she could string two words together if this kind officer kept her talking. But the serving woman was coming around with a steaming pot of chicory coffee laced with blackstrap molasses, and Roxanna gave her a grateful smile. What if Papa were to come in right now and I was abed? Best stay up a little while longer. But her eyes, despite the bracing coffee, refused to stay open. Miss Rowan, might I have the pleasure of walking you to your cabin? She drained her coffee cup and now looked at the man on her left for the first time, forgetting his name, wondering about his intentions. But he was old enough to be her father was a friend of her father s. Relieved, she blew Abby a kiss, bid goodbye to her supper companions, who were hardly aware of her going, and slipped out into the chilly, star-laden night. Once inside Papa s tiny cabin, she built up the fire and began shucking off her soiled blue calico dress and the clumsy shoes 29
The Colonel s Lady that helped disguise her limp. The left boot heel was a good inch higher than the other, making her walk with a near-normal gait, if no one looked too closely. But since her trek in the woods, the heel was missing a shoe nail or two and in danger of coming off altogether. Her other pair was aboard the flatboat, perhaps gone for good. Papa had always seen to her shoes. Since he d soon be back, she wouldn t worry about them. Shivering, she decided to keep her stockings on, garters and all, along with her shift and petticoat. Her nightgown was missing too, locked in the leather trunk bearing her initials. Captain Stewart had sent out a scouting party as promised to inspect the damage and salvage what they could. She prayed they d return on the morrow, scalps intact. Tonight she d forego the nightly brushing of her hair, given she didn t have so much as a comb. Nor did her father, she discovered just a rusty razor lying beside a wash basin. The unfamiliar corn-husk tick seemed seeped with cold, and she struggled to bring the thin quilt up to warm her, too tired to say anything but the childhood prayer she d learned so long ago. Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep... She lay on her back, looking up at the firelight dancing on the crude ceiling, teeth chattering. If I should die before I wake, at least I ll leave this dismal place. 30